A Better World

Strawberry Shortcake

Rating: R
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 4
Published: 20/12/2004
Last Updated: 28/01/2005
Status: completed

In a different world, a better world, the Raven would have never come, the Angel would have rescued her sooner and the blood of the innocents would have never been shed. A tale of what happens when Death Eaters win the war and all sanity is lost. This is what happens in their better world. PART THREE OF THREE

Chapters

1. The Scorned Wife

2. The Enraged Husband

3. The Innocent Paramour

1. The Scorned Wife

This is the first installment of a small trilogy that I couldn’t get out of my head.

I DISCLAIM EVERYTHING!!

In a darkened room, in a darkened house a lover and her husband lay intertwined in elegant silk sheets. Though the man beside her has sex with her, he is not her lover. He gives no love into their relation ship and in turn takes none of hers.

Letting out a sigh Cho Chang stood up and instinctively reached for her silk robe. Drawing it close around her she walked to the parlor where she could meditate on her thoughts. The flagged stone walk ways were icy at this point in the winter and chilled her feet as she continued forward.

How did she get to this point?

Sitting on the overstuffed couch she clapped her hands and a fire appeared. The purple flames radiated an immense warmth, but were not nearly as beautiful or as warm as red flames. They didn’t use red flames because they reminded him of her hair. Letting out a little sigh Cho rubbed her hands together trying to get warmth to her finger tips.

Their house was never warm.

With a small sigh she summoned a glass of muggle brandy. It was one of the few muggle things left in this newer, better, muggle-free world. The amber colored liquid rushed down her throat filling her body with a tingling sensation. It didn’t have the same effect as fire whiskey, but was less likely to get her intoxicated.

Taking one last sip she threw the tumbler into the fire place and watched the flames erupt as they became exposed to the alcohol.

She hated this. She hated living the life of a Malfoy wife, feared by all and friends with none. She hated being in a loveless marriage. She hated the fact that her husband loved another woman. Most of all, she hated herself.

Standing up she extinguished the fire with another clap of her hands and began walking the familiar route to the Malfoy torture dungeons. She glided past the filled cells to the unadorned wall on the other end of the chamber. Pressing the locket against a certain torch holder made the bricks waver and then disappear. As soon as she entered the new chamber the bricks rematerialized.

This room was shown to her by Mrs. Malfoy before the older woman’s death. Apparently Lucius had a tendency to find comfort in others beds, so when she found out she would take to other women to this room. It was filled with terrible instruments of torture that Cho couldn’t possibly use on a human being.

Well, any human except her.

She lay crumbled in the corner of her cell obviously malnourished and tortured. Her long red hair which Draco loved more than anything lay limp and dirty around her as she used it as a makeshift pillow.

With a clap of her hands the room was illuminated with purple light from the torches stationed along the walls.

“Rise and shine dearest!” Cho’s words echoed through the room waking up Ginny.

Draco thought she was dead.

Distrust and disappointment etched themselves across her features as Cho made her way to the cage. With a wave of her hand the steel bars opened and Ginny walked out.

“Which device to you want to experiment with today dearest?” Cho always called her dearest during these times.

Ginny longed to pick one of the less painful instrument like the thumbscrews, but knew that Cho would only get angrier at her. Walking forward she laid on the stretching table and held her hands above her head waiting to be strapped in.

Cho walked over and buckled the metal straps but didn’t spin the dial to begin the stretching. Instead she picked out a large pair of tongs and thrust them into one of the torches.

“Let’s see how much Draco likes you with only one breast dearest,” Cho let out an evil chuckle and the next thing that was heard were Ginny’s screams.

_______

Stepping back Cho admired her work. Ginny was a bloody mess on the table and the air had a faintly metallic smell. With a small was of her wand the wound in Ginny’s chest healed, but did not create another breast.

The younger girls shallow breathing began to even out as a blood replenishing charm was cast on her. With another flick of Cho’s dogwood wand Ginny was dressed in a formless gray wool dress. With a simple charm the girl was levitated into her cell and Cho locked the door.

Looking at the blood that was staining the stones a quick cleansing charm was cast, but Cho left the breast behind as a reminder. Letting out a sigh she cast a thorough cleansing charm on herself and walked through the brick wall. Daylight was beginning to creep in through the barred dungeon windows.

“He is going to find her eventually,” Blaise Zabini whispered from behind his cage.

“Who is going to tell him Blaise?” Cho asked with a malicious chuckle.

“I might,” Blaise said in little more than a whisper.

“Like he would believe you,” Cho walked past blowing a quick kiss over her shoulder before ascending the staircase.

Blaise knew Cho was holding Ginny Weasley captive in the cell next to his. He heard her cries during the day and her tortured screams at night. He knew she was the one girl Draco loved. He knew Draco thought he killed her.

_______

Cho crawled under the covers on the large bed snuggling down in their softness. Draco didn’t ask where she was, then again, she didn’t expect him to.

They had a marriage of convenience mainly based on the purity of their blood. Cho came from an old oriental line and Draco from a European one.

Everyone thought they would make beautiful children.

The only problem was Draco didn’t want to have any children with Cho. There was only one woman he wanted carrying his baby, and she did at one time, but Cho made sure that problem was taken care of when Ginny Weasley was put into her custody.

Ginny cried when Cho told her it was a baby girl.

Draco scooted closer to Cho trying to get warmer.

“You’re cold,” He growled pulling the blankets closer to his face.

“I always am,” Cho whispered slowly falling asleep.

2. The Enraged Husband

Part Two of Three of A Better World

The Enraged Husband

By: Strawberry Shortcake

Draco sat in the back of the weekly Death Eater meeting listening to the same mindless garbage he heard every time. Try to get more followers out of the remaining pure bloods, eliminate half bloods, and get better slaves. It didn’t matter to him, none of this did. The world wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. Evil wasn’t supposed to win.

That is what fairy tales tell us isn’t it?

Evil always looses to the light. Why couldn’t Potter have been a little stronger? A little faster? A little smarter?

He should have fought harder for that green eyed baby his mudblood girlfriend gave birth to. Draco knew he would have done anything to save his own child. Instead Potter failed, his girl friend was killed, and their child was being raised to be the ultimate servant as some sick and twisted joke.

How did he get here?

How did he get to the point that he wished upon false dreams and desired Harry Potter to still be alive?

Idly he twirled the platinum band that marked his marriage to Cho around his finger. Cho wasn’t supposed to be wearing the matching band, Ginny was. His fiery angel had picked out the matching set as promise rings, so the would always promise to be love each other.

That wasn’t the case though.

Ginny was dead. No matter how many wishes he made of how many spells he cast, she would remain icy and lifeless. She was destroyed at the hand of Blaise Zabini, his supposed best friend. One of the few people who knew Ginny was pregnant with his child. His last chance to change the stars.

By the time Ginny had gotten pregnant he had sunk so deeply into Voldemort’s clutches that there was no escaping for him, but there was hope for his family. He had carefully made plans for Ginny to go to Australia, one of the few places not under strong control. It had taken him months to sort everything out and avoid suspicion. In Australia Ginny could raise their child the way children were supposed to be raised.

The night she were supposed to leave he walked home with a portkey, only to find their house up in black flames, the trade mark of Blaise Zabini. The first of many signs of the ultimate betrayal.

Draco didn’t want to believe that his best friend had done such a thing.

Rushing into the dilapidated building he found Ginny dead in their bedroom. Her face forever frozen into a look of surprise. Holding Ginny, he just sat there stroking her hair as their home collapsed around them. He had hoped the fates would be kind and take his life too.

Whatever deities that existed weren’t smiling down on him that night.

Days later he awoke at a hospital with Cho Chang watching over him. Reluctantly she handed him one of the many viewing crystals that had surrounded his and Ginny’s home.

He watched as Blaise walked up to the front door. He screamed as Ginny let him inside. He sobbed as green light filled the upstairs windows. He became infuriated as Blaise slipped out the front door and the house went up in flames.

In an unstoppable rage he walked out of the hospital and began his search for his best friend. His mother had sobbed and begged him not to leave, for fear of what he would do when he found the other man. His father reluctantly agreed with his decisions and began to fill out the necessary paper work. Cho just sat there and promised to wait for him to return.

He didn’t know what to make of her promise, but it was quickly put out of his mind as the search began.

Nothing stood in Draco’s way as he crossed the line between searching and hunting. He had nothing to gain, and even less to lose. As far as he was concerned the rest of his life ended when Ginny did. This was the final stand, the kamikaze mission.

The first two days were spent following tracks that lead to no where.

Day one lead him across the coast of Cornwall. The childhood home of Blaise, Clarus Villa, was located there. A newer mansion to the area, it was built just before Blaise was born when the older one became terribly outdated. The majority of it was made of glass, glass which shattered beautifully with a simple flick of Draco’s wand.

Italy, more precisely Rome, was where the second day was spent. Blaise had always been fascinated with the Coliseum. Wise man Blaise was, he had an old warlock strip his essence and leave it in the ruins of the Basilica of San Clemente. Blaise knew Draco feared the burning god. Fear however was not present in Draco when the ruins rebuilt themselves into a temple of Voldemort at his command.

The third day, however, was the charm when he found Blaise in the old Gryffindor tower at Hogwarts. Bodies still cluttered the ground oh the scarlet common room, in a way they were demented memorials from the last battle.

The mass slaughter lead you to wonder, was the common room always crimson? Or was it crimson from the destruction?

Blaise sat in an old dorm room where the stuff was still in the drawers, its occupants most likely in the devastation down stairs. Surprisingly the raven haired man gave no fight as Draco dragged him back to the Malfoy manner and locked him in a cell, rather he laughed in an insane sort of way.

That was where he was to this day.

Draco had never bothered to go see him again, nor to put any other prisoners in his dungeon. Isolation was a punishment in its self.

None the less, isolation didn’t quell his rage or need for revenge.

“Draco, Pansy wants to know if she can expect you and Cho at tomorrows gala,” A single voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up to see the anxious face of Adrian Pucey. Adrian Pucey, Pansy’s fiancé, was a tall, tone man, with long light brown hair. He was a few years ahead of Draco at school, and had played on the house team. Personally, Draco thought Pansy could do much better, if not for herself, than for her son who was now 12 years old.

“Of course we will be there Adrian. I would never let Pansy down, no matter the circumstance,” Adrian looked visibly relieved and inwardly Draco chuckled wondering how whipped the man before him was. He was the male epitome of what Pansy liked to call porcelain dolls. Porcelain dolls are wives who are too afraid of their husbands to do much else than sit there and look pretty, a bit like arm candy.

Draco gave a stiff nodded goodbye before apparating back to the manor his parents had left him and Cho as a wedding present.

The original Malfoy Manor in Bretagne France, was both old and beautiful. In English it was called Stone Palace, and it lived up to it’s name with amazing architecture and masonry. It was his parent’s home that was give to them by Lucius’ parents for their marriage and family. It had been passed down since the beginning of the Malfoy line. His parents now resided in his mother’s estate Meadow White, located somewhere in eastern Russia. Draco had never been there, nor did he ever plan to go.

When he and Cho procreated a son who married they would retire to her mansion in Taiwan, and the tradition would continue. Their son would most likely never visit them and he would die a bitter old man much like his father.

“Draco I didn’t expect you home so soon!” Cho was sitting in a high backed yellow satin arm chair embroidering a new branch into the tapestry of the family tree. A small amount of cobalt string was tied to the back of her rapidly moving needle. Somewhere in the back of his mind Draco remembered cobalt was the color of the Chang family.

“What are you doing?” He asked suspiciously eyeing the shimmering cobalt string that was being woven towards the trunk of emerald. Other colors branched off in different places such as black for his mother and lilac for his aunt, but cobalt blue had yet to touch the green. Once it did there would forever be documentation that at one point in time the Chang and Malfoy lines combined.

“I thought it was obvious. I’m finally adding our marriage to your family tree,” With that said cobalt and emerald intermingled radiating a small light of recognition before Cho put her needle down. Her face was stern and her gaze piercing, but Draco didn’t care.

“Tomorrow Pansy is throwing a midnight gala in celebration of her engagement. We are going. Use as much money as you want to get us decent robes, make sure they are self tailoring because we don’t have time for anything else,” Cho just glared at Draco as he continued to talk. “ Call Pierre, my mother’s tailor, that will ensure that no one else will have similar robes.” Draco paused to think about what else he had to say, but Cho took that moment to interrupt with a snide comment.

“Whatever you say master,” She sneered pursing her lips in distaste. Cho did not like Pansy, nor did Pansy like Cho.

Cho thought Pansy was a disgrace to purebloods because of her premarital affairs and because of her son, Leander, the result of a week in Greece back during their Hogwarts years. Pansy of the other hand hated Cho because she didn’t have the spirit to become anything other than the Malfoy wife and she was nothing compared to Ginny

“I’m going to my study,” Draco said temporarily avoiding the inevitable argument about the party. Swiftly he left the room and climbed the steps to his sanctuary. The one place in the world where anything was possible, and where he didn’t have to pretend for anyone.

With a wave of his hand the heavy oak door was shut and locked protecting his privacy from his wife’s peering eyes. Walking to the desk he slowly traced his name across the top making a small drawer open. A picture album, a bit of vermilion string, and a scribbled note. That was all he had left of her.

Picking up the picture album he smiled as he saw her flying through the pages. In one picture she was scoring a goal at a quidditch match, in another she and Pansy were covered with flour displaying the cake they had baked for him the muggle way, in the last picture of the album she was asleep, absentmindedly rubbing her pregnant stomach. Letting out a sigh he replaced the album and shut the drawer making it disappear.

Rifling through his papers he pulled out the latest projected numbers of remaining resistance groups. It was going to be a long night.

_______

Pansy sat demurely in the velvet chair as people entered their ball room. Leander stood at her right and Adrian at her left. As was custom, they were greeting their guests and accepting any presents they may have brought.

Her petite hands were encased in ivory gloves which worked to smooth out the creases in her black dress. All three of them were dressed in ivory and black.

“Pansy it is a pleasure, like always,” Draco said with a smile bending down to kiss her hand. The two had known each other for most of their lives. He looked amazing in the cobalt and silver robes Cho had no doubt picked out.

“Leander, I heard you were in need of a new broom,” Turning around Draco accepted a package from Cho and handed it to the excited boy.

“Adrian, I know you have your way with words, and with this quill set, what you write will truly be gold,” Once again Draco turned around and accepted another package from Cho which he handed to Adrian.

“Last, but not least,” Draco said with a smirk turning towards Pansy. “ I wanted to be sure you kept Slytherin house pride.” This time Cho stepped forward and placed a jewelry box in his hands, which he opened to reveal an emerald necklace and earring set.

“It is beautiful,” Pansy said accepting the box from her friend’s hands with an enormous smile.

“I knew you would love it,” Draco said with a grin before bending down to kiss Pansy’s hand again and nod to the men on either side of her. As Draco walked in Cho followed, not saying a word to the newly engaged.

“That was extremely rude of you,” Cho chided Draco once they were seated at their table. Draco picked up the list of people who would be sitting there not eve bothering to acknowledge Cho’s comment.

“Pansy’s parents are going to be sitting with us along with Theodore Nott and his American girlfriend,” Draco stated placing the list back on the table and waving over the waiter who was carrying a tray of Champaign.

“You should have introduced me to Pansy rather than leaving me standing behind you,” The Asian woman fumed delicately picking up a glass from the man’s tray.

“Why? Do you not have a voice?” Draco shot back with a snicker as he began to drain his glass. The anger from last night had not yet bubbled to the surface leaving both Draco and Cho’s tempers on short circuit.

“Draco! I haven’t seen you since graduation!” A burly man called walking up to the oddly silent couple. The man was extravagantly dressed in bright orange crushed velvet robes. A magically enhanced witch with strawberry blonde hair was attached to his arm wearing equally as shocking robes of hot pink.

“Theodore it is a delight to see you again,” Draco called back sporting his million dollar smile and extending his hand.

“This beautiful thing,” Draco said gesturing to the red head, once he shook hands with Theodore. “Must be your girl friend Jessica. The pleasure is mine,” Reaching down Draco grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it.

“Why thank you, that is really sweet of you,” Jessica replied in a low southern accent that hung in the air like warm honey.

“This is my wife, Cho. I do believe you know her Theodore, she was only a year ahead of us at school,” Draco said with a laugh earning an angry glare from Cho.

“Why hello Cho, it is great to see you again,” Theodore broke the silence with kissing Cho’s extended hand.

“It is nice to see some men still have manners,” Cho growled more at her husband than anyone else before returning to her seat. She let out an indignant noise when she saw Draco pulling out the chair for Jessica, which of course, he ignored.

Another waiter comes by offering more drinks, this time fire whiskey much to Cho’s and Jessica’s dismay.

“You shouldn’t drink that,” Cho hinted hoping for once Draco would listen.

Draco scoffed at Cho before downing an entire glass and waving the waiter back for another one.

“That’s my man Draco,” Theodore snickered clapping Draco on the back before taking another glass of whiskey for himself. “I knew you couldn’t stand drinking that sissy stuff for long.”

With a deep belly laugh Theodore slowly began to sip his new glass.

_______

Blaise sat in his cell watching the sun rise. He could faintly hear Ginny’s sobs through the wall, but Cho had yet to visit her tonight.

As if on cue Blaise heard footsteps coming down the stairwell. Laying back in his bed he closed his eyes waiting for Cho to pass.

“Get up you lazy prat,” A distinctly masculine voice slurred banging on Blaise’s bars. Slowly, Blaise sat up and opened his eyes, only to be confronted with the sight of a very drunk Draco Malfoy.

“You,” Draco drawled pointing at Blaise. “Killed Ginny.” The blonde lost his footing and staggered a few steps before grabbing on to a bar and steadying his self.

“You were sup-supps-supposed to be my best friend,” Draco slurred grabbing on to another bar with his second hand.

“Draco, Ginny isn’t dead,” The raven haired man replied watching his friend’s reaction.

“Yes she issss,” Draco hissed banging the bars in front of his face and letting out a growl of primal rage. “I held her dead body as our house collapsed around us!”

“Ask your blushing bride when she is under a truth spell. Then you will find the real answers,” Blaise laid back down on his cot and watched Draco tear up the stairs remarkably fast for a drunk man.

Then again, he had something he hadn’t had in a long time, hope.

_______

Cho sat at her vanity slowly brushing her hair. It was 6am and she was just about ready to go to sleep. The party had been beautiful and had carried on into the wee hours of the morning.

Draco had gotten drunk beyond belief and had left early with Theodore, She knew he would turn up sooner or later.

“Immobulus,” A voice hissed out of the darkness freezing Cho with her hand in mid stroke. Draco stepped into the light, the candles giving him an ethereal appearance.

Flicking his wrist he cast another spell, a spell that told Cho he knew about Ginny.

“Veritas”

3. The Innocent Paramour

Part Three of Three of A Better World

The Innocent Paramour

By: Strawberry Shortcake

Ginny didn’t know how long she had remained a prisoner in Cho’s dungeon. It felt like years, but time seemed to have eluded her leaving only worthless estimations. For all she knew it could still be the day she was captured on, one very prolonged day from hell.

Did she hear some one laughing?

No it was just a figment of her imagination.

The only person she had seen since she was captured was Cho. Once in a while she thought she heard someone crying, but that person was her.

How did she come to this point?

Sitting up a little Ginny began to braid her hair. It was a small thing that gave her a little comfort. During these times a little comfort was better than none.

Her stomach growled again reminding her that she couldn’t quite remember the last time she ate, but she pushed that thought aside.

Dollies didn’t need to eat.

Letting out a deep sigh she heard some one crying again. Chiding herself she remembered that she could only ever hear herself weeping. She tried to concentrate on stopping the sobs, but they did not cease, they only seemed to grow louder.

Ginny tried to cover her ears from the noise, but nothing helped. They increased in volume , and then there was the explosion. An eardrum shattering shriek.

Ginny looked up to see the doorway open and Cho lying on the floor. Dread began to consume her as she scuttled to the back of the cage. Then, an angel spoke to her.

“Ginny?”

_______

Draco stood in the doorway of a room he never knew about and watched Ginny slowly scuttle about an iron cage. Cho lay on the floor sobbing, but this moment wasn’t about her.

“Ginny?” He cautiously asked walking forward. The woman he loved looked at him and relief washed across her face. She slowly got to her feet and reached a hand through the bars, but fell short of touching him.

“Am I going to heaven now?” She asked in a dreamy tone, similar yet still different from the one Luna Lovegood used to use. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed to be wavering on her feet.

“No, you’re going some place even better, home,” With a wave of his wand the cage opened making Ginny jump and look at Cho. As Draco entered the cage her eyes darted back and forth like a trapped animal.

“Ginny I am not going to hurt you,” He held out a hand to her as his heart broke with her distrust. She was a completely different person. Reluctantly she grabbed on to his hand and walked forward a few steps watching him with suspicious eyes.

What happened to Ginny?

It was then that he noticed the deformity on her chest.

“What happened here?” He asked placing his palm on the concave part of the dress top. She flinched at the simple contact and drew her hand back. Walking out of the cage she kneeled down where Cho lay.

“A bad bad woman hurt dolly,” Ginny mumbled braiding Cho‘s tresses. “The raven hurt dolly and dolly’s baby,” A single tear drop rolled down her face clearing the grime in it’s path. Leaning against the cage Ginny began to sob into her hands.

Draco’s breath caught in his throat at the mention of the baby. Their baby. Walking over he kneeled down so he was at her level.

“Love,” He said turning her towards him. “What happened to the baby?” In the deepest vaults of his mind he knew what happened to the baby. He just didn’t want to admit it to himself. He wanted to keep the possibility alive.

“The raven took it away,” Ginny said in a sad sing song voice. She lifted her head to face Draco and her eyes grew wide. “ She is all around you,” Ginny said as if realizing it for the first time. Reaching up she began plucking at the air.

“Right here and here. Naughty boy, the raven is laughing at you. Why? Why won’t you push her away? Why won’t you let her go?” Ginny dropped her arms to her sides before reaching forward and picking up his hand.

Looking at the platinum ring she let out a little hiss.

“You walk in worlds the others can't begin to imagine, yet you tie your self down with the decay of dead baby fish,” Dropping his hand she began whimpering until Draco pulled her into an embrace.

“The king acts all noble, but today is not his birthday,” Ginny said looking up at Draco and waving her finger at him as if he were a bad child.

“Ginny let’s go upstairs and tuck you into bed,” Draco suggested slightly tugging on Ginny’s arm. She mindlessly followed him with out speaking. Up flights of stairs and down hallways, but she didn’t say a word.

Finally they reached a guest room deep in the heart of the house. Somewhere that no one could find her. Where they could never take her from him again.

Whispering terms of endearment he eased the dress over her head. While he fished around for a night gown he curse all deities and their lack of intervention. The love of his life, his one and only, the strongest woman he ever met, was now broke. Gone. A shell of what she used to be.

“Ginny love, would you like a green night dress or a blue one?” Draco asked showing her both of the long silk night gowns.

“Everyone is going to a party, but I didn’t get an invitation,” Ginny said in a daze of sorts not even acknowledging the question at all.

“What party are you talking about?” He slowly eased the green silk over her figure as to not startle her.

“Do you know what I miss? Pixies,” Ginny slowly turned in a circle and held her hands up in the air.

“Now come on Gin, be a good girl, tell me about the party,” Ginny stopped spinning and looked towards him with a manic smile.

“The stars will align, and smile down on us,” Draco grasped her hand and pulled her gently towards the bed.

“It is time for you to go to sleep love, but I will be here in the morning. Do you understand?” Ginny nodded her head and slowly crawled onto the bed and laid down. Draco cast a quick cleansing spell on her and one for a dreamless sleep before drawing the curtains around the bed.

Letting out a sigh Draco went to the fire place and flooed to St. Mungos. The hospital was especially sanitary and healers were bustling back and forth.

Draco walked up to the front desk where the receptionist bowed her head in honor of his position.

“Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you this evening?” She asked in a weak wavering tone.

“I need to speak to your head healer in the psychiatric ward,” Draco replied trying to keep his voice low so prying ears didn’t hear.

“Of course, right away sir. Healer Boot will be down in a few moments,” The brunet receptionist slowly waved her wand over a sheet of parchment which sprang to life and flew out of the room.

Draco made his way to a dragon hide upholstered couch and looked at the other people in the waiting room. An elderly man with vivid pink eyes stood pacing slowly back and forth. A young woman held a sobbing little girl on her lap. Three witches sat towards the back of the room merrily chatting as their magic knitting needles produced miniature clothes. A red headed teenager just stood there in shock as a healer walked away from him.

What were their stories?

Why were they here?

“Mr. Malfoy?” Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw the same year as Draco was nervously wringing his hands as he waited for Draco’s acknowledgement.

“Healer Boot, I have a very critical problem that would need to be dealt with the utmost discreteness. If you accept and leak any word of what you see to anyone, I will kill you and your family. You can be assured that what I need you for is not illegal and you may possibly be able to save someone’s life,” Draco said all of this with out looking up, and then as an after thought said. “Of course you will be paid large sums of money.”

Terry looked around as if expecting someone to burst out laughing, but everyone else just continued with their business not even taking notice of the two men.

“Can I have any more information before I accept?” Terry didn’t like the job he did. He didn’t like the way the war turned out. Now he was just a slave to death eaters. He wasn’t able to help people the way he wanted to.

“I have a torture victim who is in desperate need of physical and psychological attention, that is all I can tell you. Will you help?” Draco knew Terry was the best healer in England. If he rejected Draco would have to look in different countries.

Letting out a sigh terry nodded his head. Draco held out his hand which contained a silver pendant of a heart. A portkey.

“Ready?” Draco asked as soon as Terry confirmed they were confronted with the familiar tugging of the naval.

1 Year Later

“Miss Edith speaks out of turn. She's a bad example, and will have no cakes today. Shhhh,” Ginny slowly poured imaginary tea into the delicate porcelain cups around the table.

“There is absolutely no chance of her ever coming back out of her mind. I think the death of her child made her regress into her mind to a juvenile state where she didn’t have to deal with these issues,” Terry carefully said each word as he and Draco watched Ginny Weasley flounce around a table crowded by porcelain dolls.

At first he had thought it to be some sick joke. He thought Draco were trying to make her into his mistress of sorts. Then he found out how much the other man loved her.

“Thank you Terry, thank you for everything,” Draco shook Terry’s hand placing a purse of gold into it.

“Gin,” He called out to the petite redhead. “Would you like to come with me to see Healer Boot to the door?” Ginny eagerly nodded her head and skipped over. Looking back over her shoulder she began to yell at the dolls.

“You see, Miss Edith? If you'd been good you could watch with the rest.” Letting out a hollow giggle she clasped onto Draco’s hand and followed him to the main gate.

Terry shook Draco’s hand again an then leaned over and kissed Ginny’s forehead.

“Oh Healer Boot,” the woman chided in her innocent voice. “ The raspberry's all ripe but the music box doesn't want to sing!”

“You need to let the raspberry sing,” He replied before turning away and disappearing with a pop.

“She's going to be all new again. And we will paint the town. Me and my little music box,” Ginny slowly started to swing hers and Draco’s combined hands.

“How about we go play with the rave today?” Draco suggested putting his hand in the small of her back and leading her back to the manor.

“Draco do you love my insides even the parts you can’t see?” Ginny asked twirling in a small circle in a mock dance.

“I love every part of you Ginny,” Draco planted a kiss on the top of her head as he said it. As they walked into the manor Ginny began to hum the tune of an old English tune.

“Do you remember the song mummy used to sing me? Pretty,” She continued to hum the tune and skip around the entrance hall

Suddenly she stopped all together and sat on the floor.

“What happened?” Draco asked kneeling before her and holding her head in his hands.

“That was the end of the song,” She answered back with a childish innocence.

“Oh, no, my pet. This is just the beginning,” Draco said with a smirk pulling her into a passionate embrace. All the while Cho sat watching them, encased in her magical bonds, there to watch for the rest of her life. Silent tears ran down the oriental woman’s face marring her glacial beauty. She wasn’t sure what was worse, watching him kiss her, or watching her kiss him back.

Dread soon began to occupy her every nerve ending as Draco broke away and reached for his wand. He had that mad glint in his eye and this time, this time he might actually do some real damage. Like she had done to Ginny.

“This is just the beginning,” Draco repeated advancing toward Cho with his wand in his hand and Ginny giggling madly on the cold marble floor.

“Good bye Raven!” She cooed, “Good bye and good night.”

The End

AN- Not sure that I like the end, but this is the fourth rewrite and well, frankly I think it is time to put this story to rest.